Cotter key bending tool



Jam, 2% i958 R. w. DECKER 2,

CUTTER KEY BENDING TOOL I Filed Oct. 24, 1955 INVENTOR. R055? 7' 14 050/05 14 TTORN E Y This invention relates to a tool for bending the ends of a cotter key or pin.

A usual form of cotter key or pin comprises a folded length of halt-round wire with an eye at the fold. The pin is retained against accidental retraction, after being inserted in the hole of a member to which applied, by bending the free ends of the wire. Usually, said ends are bent in opposite directions. It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and improved tool for effecting such bending with easy facility.

In many fields, particularly, aircraft construction, there are a multiplicity of places where cotter pins are used to retain pins, shafts or other elements against displacement. One application in which many cotter-keyed pins are used, is adjacent to the peripheries of grooved pulleys to retain control cables against accidental dislodgement from the grooves. It will be evident that access for placing the cotter pins and bending the ends thereof is frequently ditl'icult. Another object of the invention is to provide a tool of the character referred to that may be of elongated form to reach diflicult-of-access places and may, if desired, have a degree of flexibility that facilitates its use.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawing merely shows and the following description merely describes one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. l is a bottom view, partly broken, of a tool for bending the ends of cotter keys, the same embodying a preferred form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the cotter-bending end of the tool, the same being shown in a partly operated position.

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the tool as shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a similar view, the tool being in its final cotter-end bending or crimping position.

The tool that is illustrated is adapted to apply a cotter pin 5 into a hole in a pin or shaft 6, said cotter pin, in the usual manner, being provided with an eye 7 and with ends 8 that may be bent from the straight position of Fig. 3 to the position of Fig. 4. When so bent, the ends prevent endwise retraction of pin or shaft 6 relative to a surface 9 (Fig. 2).

The present tool comprises, generally, an elongated tubular housing It a plunger 11 telescopically fitted in said housing, means 12 afiording a one-handed operation telescopically moving the housing and plunger relatively, cotter pin locating die means 13 carried by the end atent 2,8213%!) i atented Jan. 2%, 1958 an of .the housing remote from the operating means 12, and cotter end spreading and bending means 14 carried by the adjacent end of the plunger and cooperative with the die means to effect bending of the cotter pin ends 8, as herein contemplated.

The housing id is shown as a length of tubing 15 in which is formed an elongated slot 16 that extends to the open end the tubing 15 Where the die means 13 is located. The closed end 17 of the slot limits the retracted position of the tool, as will later be seen.

The plunger 1?. comprises a length of rod that is slidingly fitted in tubing 15 The means 12 is shown as a finger-engageable crosspiece 3 that is afiixed to the end of tubing 15 that is remote from the slot 16, a thumb-engageable knob 19 on the end of plunger 11 that extends beyond the crosspiece-provided end of the tubing, and a coil spring 20 around said plunger between said crosspiece and knob. It will be clear that said spring 20 biases the plunger to retracted position in the housing and that movement with the fingers of one hand will cause projection of the plunger.

The length of housing 10 may vary, as desired.

The die means 13 is shown as a block 21 that is secured as by a screw 22 in the end of housing tube 15. Said block is provided with a face 23 directed toward the slot 16. A cotter pin-engaging die 24 is either formed to be integral with said block or comprises a separate piece that is affixed to said block by the mentioned screw 22. in any case, die 24 extends through slot 16 and is provided with a seat 25 into which the eye 7 of a cotter pin is adapted to fit. Said seat may be so formed as to frictionally engage over the eye to retain a cotter pin 5 in applying position. A surface 26, in a plane parallel to the length or the tube i5, helps locate a cotter pin and maintain its position. if desired, the seat 25 may be provided with resilient eye gripping sides that releasably grip the eye and, therefore, the cotter pin.

It will be understood from the foregoing that, if it is otherwise dimcult to insert a cotter pin in the hole in a pin or shaft 6, said cotter pin may be slipped into seat 25, and be so presented that the tool may be used for introducing the ends 8 into such (lliTlClIli-Of-EICCBSS hole.

The means 14 is carried by the end of the plunger 11 that is directed toward the die means 13. Said means 14 comprises, generally, an end-spreading member 27, a spring 2% between said member and the adjacent end of the plunger and contracting upon arresting of movement of the member 2? and continued projecting movement of the plunger, and end-bending members 29 rigidly carried by the plunger and movable to effect bending of the ends of a cotter pin during such continued projecting movement of the plunger.

The end-spreading member 27 is shown as a block 30 guided in slot 16 and having a wedge-shaped nose 31 that is directed toward the die means 13, and a short length of rod 32 on which said block 39 is carried and which is guided in the passage or bore of tubing 15. The nose 31 is centered to insert itself between the ends 8 of the cotter pin, as shown in Fig. 3. The mentioned spring 23 is disposed between the end of plunger 11 and the adjacent end of rod 32, thereby resiliently biasing the member 27 toward the die means.

The end-bending members 29 are carried on opposite sides of block 343 and are affixed to a block 33, rearward of block 30, and, in turn, affixed to the plunger 11. Said members 29 are each provided with a longitudinally, closeended slot 54, and a. bolt 35, carried by block 30, extends into said slots. The ends 36 of members 29, that are adjacent the nose of block 3%, may be bevelled as shown.

Since members 29 are affixed to plunger 11 and the member 27 is biased toward the die means 13 by spring 28, the latter member as limited by bolt and slot connections 34-36, has the normal position of Fig. l in which the nose 31 is in advance of the ends 36 of members 29. Consequently, as the tool is operated, said nose 31 engages the pin ends 8 to spread them. When said nose reaches its maximum projected position engaged with pin or shaft 6, its projecting movement is arrested.

Now, as the plunger 11 is continued to be projected, spring 28 will compress and the bending members 29 will continue to be projected. The bevelled ends 36 of said members, engaging the inner faces of the spread ends 8, curl or bend said ends to the position of Fig. 4 and in which ends 36 may achieve a position forward of nose 31.

The projection of the tool may be limited by engagement of blocks 30 and 33, or the slots 34 may be designed to have their trailing ends engage bolt 35.

When the means 12 is released, spring 20 will restore the plunger to its retracted position, as in Fig. l and the spring 28 will expand to re-project the spreader block 30 relative to the end-bending members 29.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out sitioned within the outer telescopic member and projects the invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall Within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A tool for bending the ends of a cotter-pin, said tool comprising an elongate tube, a die carried by an end of said tube and having a seat receptive of the portion of the cotter pin that is opposite said ends, a plunger slidahly fitted in said tube, an end-spreading member between the said die and the adjacent end of the plunger, a spring between said end-spreading member and said plunger end and biasing the former toward the die, endbending members fixedly carried by the plunger, 21 lostmotion connection between the latter members and the end-spreading member, and means to relatively axially move said tube and plunger to first, move the end-spreading means into spreading engagement with the cotter pin ends and then, move the end-bending members into bending engagement with the spread ends of the cotter pin.

2. in a tool for bending the end of a cotter pin comprising a pair of concentrically arranged telescopic members, a cotter pin supporting block carried by the outer member with its supporting area arranged to present the free ends of a cotter pin inwardly, a slidable block member having an end spreading portion, said slidable block member being supported in said outer tubular member for movement toward a cotter pin on said supporting block to engage and spread the free ends thereof, said slidable block being operable by movement of the inner telescopic member in one direction, and end bending members slidably mounted at each side of said end spreading portion, said end bending members being connected with said inner member by a loose joint connection and being operable thereby to engage and bend the ends of said cotter pin when the legs of said pin are spread apart by said spreading portion.

3. The structure of claim 2 characterized in that the outer telescopic member is formed with a longitudinally extending slot and the cotter pin supporting block is pothrough the slot with its supporting area facing inwardly of the assembly.

4. The structure of claim 2 characterized in that the slidable block member is of cylindrical form and a spring is interposed between the slidable block and the adjacent end of the inner telescopic member, whereby movement of the inner telescopic member transmits force to the slidable block through the spring.

5. The structure of claim 2 characterized in that the end bending members carried by the slidable block project through the slot in the outer telescopic member and the end bending members slidably mounted on the end spreading portion of the slidable block are arranged outwardly of the outer telescopic member and include a portion coacting with the outer telescopic member to form a guide portion for the parts.

6. In a tool for bending the end of a cotter pin comprising a pair of inner and outer telescopic members, the outer telescopic member being formed with a longitudinally extending slot at one end portion, a cotter pin supporting block mounted within the said outer telescopic member with its supporting area projecting through saidslot and outwardly of said outer telescopic member, a slidable block member positioned within said outer telescopic member and movable towards and away from said cotter pin supporting block, a spring interposed between the end of said slidable block and the adjacent end of the inner telescopic member, whereby movement of the inner telescopic member will transmit movement to said slidable block through said spring, an end spreading member carried by said slidable block for engaging a cotter pin supported by said supporting'block, an end bending member mounted at each side of said end spreading memher by pin and slot connections, said end bending members having portions extending into said elongated slot to form a guide for the parts, and means connecting the end of the inner telescopic member and said end bending members, whereby movement of the inner telescopic member will initially move said end spreading portion into engagement with the cotter pin in said supporting block and subsequently spread the free ends of the cotter pin.

7. The structure of claim 6 characterized in that the cotter pin supporting block is detachably mounted within the outer telescopic member with its supporting area separable therefrom.

8. The structure of claim 6 characterized in that the end spreading member carried by the slidable block for engaging a cotter pin supported by said supporting block is detachably connected thereto.

9. The structure of claim 6 characterized in that the end bending members are detachably connected with the end of the inner telescopic member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,516,877 Anekee Nov. 25, 1924 1,664,619 Girard Apr. 3, 1928 1,824,083 Hoff Sept. 22, 1931 2,330,013 Schultz Sept. 21, 1943 2,750,822 Kossuth et a1. June 19, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 924,435 Germany M Mar. 3, 1955 

